Apple’s first foldable has been making headlines all over. There’s plenty of praise for how it looks and feels, while others, like myself, feel that it’s a little dated compared to more mature foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Review). But if you were expecting the rough edges to get better next year, Apple could be planning on slowing things down.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says a substantial redesign for the second-generation iPhone Duo appears unlikely, and his reasoning has less to do with the foldable itself than with how Apple now approaches hardware design.
According to Gurman, Apple increasingly seems comfortable introducing a design and sticking with it for a long time. The current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro designs have survived for roughly half a decade, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 retains the fundamental design introduced with the original Ultra in 2022. Even AirPods have similarly seen little change across generations.
Apple’s design clock is ticking much slower
Gurman points to the iPad as a stark example. Between 2010 and 2013, Apple introduced four distinct tablet designs in four successive years. This included the original iPad, iPad 2, iPad mini, and iPad Air. He does not expect today’s Apple design team to suddenly return to that pace and completely rework the Duo after only 12 months.
The MacBook Air has retained essentially the same chassis since its M2 redesign in 2022, while the recent M5 model has remained visually indistinguishable from its predecessors. The MacBook Pro has followed an even longer path, with its current design dating back to the 2021 M1 Pro generation.
This isn’t because of hardware stagnation
A longer design cycle also doesn’t mean Apple will simply release identical products. The company has spent recent generations improving chips, cameras, and other aspects of its products. Meanwhile, the iconic industrial design is still familiar across annual updates.
Even Apple’s 2026 smartwatch lineup largely sticks to the established designs, with the new health and hardware features getting solid improvements. Gurman expects the Duo to follow the same philosophy. Apple already has a distinctive wide, passport-like foldable shape, so generation two could focus on refining the hinge, weight, cameras, and other key components. So, for the time being, it’s best to get used to the design Apple has settled on.
